New Year, new you; go on a diet, lose weight be happier, it’s a promise a lot of us make ourselves and sadly it’s a promise many people struggle to keep. However you decide to diet, choose your goals and stick to them, and if little goals work better for you then go for it.

It’s your diet so do whatever you need to do to get that healthy and happy new you that you have been promising yourself for ages but don’t give up your favourites forever, as there are plenty of ways to lose weight and still eat some goodies, including chocolate, cake and other desserts.

With this in mind, here are five top tips to help you eat cake and still lose weight.

1.Exercise

Exercise is a great way to help you lose weight, and there are lots of gym membership deals available at this time of the year so keep an eye out for them. Some people prefer not to go to the gym, and if you are one of those people, for whatever reason, then that is okay. There are many other ways you can exercise, such as going for a bike ride, or walking.

Why not ditch the car to make that short journey to the shops and walk there instead? Experts suggest 60 – 90 minutes of exercise 3 times a week is beneficial, and the good news is you can break it down into smaller blocks of time.

2.Water

Keep yourself hydrated. Make sure that you drink plenty of water, or even fruit or herbal teas whilst you are dieting. This is especially important when you are exercising.

Water can help suppress feelings of hunger so if you are feeling peckish the best thing to do is try having a glass of water and stopping those first hunger pangs.

3.Eat a Healthy Balanced Diet

Eat a diet that is high in protein, fresh fruit and vegetable and healthy whole grains. Fruit and vegetable are packed full of vitamins, minerals and fibre whilst being low in calories, so adding large portions of vegetables to your plate will really fill you up without adding too many calories to your daily allowance. Fish, lean meat, poultry and even tofu are high in protein whilst being low in calories. Make sure each meal you have includes a portion of protein, it is great for helping you feel fuller for longer.

4. Eat cake – in moderation

Eat cake, yes that’s right if you want to eat some cake do it. Just be aware of what size a portion is and stick to it; don’t use it as an excuse to binge and eat all the cake. If you are going to treat yourself to some cake, then make sure it is good cake made from quality ingredients such as those from Adams Cakes.

A small slice of good quality cake will really help with any craving for sweet things that you may have. In fact, it is more likely to stop you over indulging on something you feel you shouldn’t be eating whilst on a diet, feeling you have fallen off the diet wagon and then ditching the diet completely. For your diet to be balanced a little sweet treat now and then is completely acceptable, remember if you are calorie counting don’t forget to keep calories back so you can have the cake or go for an extra-long walk to burn off those extra calories.

5. Finally, Be Happy

If your diet is making you unhappy then you are less likely to stick with it. If you are hungry all the time then take a proper look at what you are eating and see if you can use your calories more efficiently so you feel fuller longer, this should help you to stick to your diet which should see you losing weight and being even happier.

Treats are good, make your diet circle a positive one and you should see the results you want.